


Mountain Out of a Molehill

by redbluezero



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29855898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbluezero/pseuds/redbluezero
Summary: The two things Makoto never thought he’d do were take a mirror selfie and come out. Texting with Eiko proves both of those assumptions wrong.
Kudos: 13





	Mountain Out of a Molehill

Makoto carefully tiptoed into Sae’s room. Despite the fact that his sister was not home, his heart pounded loud and hard in his chest. He made his way to her mirror, which stretched from the floor up to the wall clock, and aligned himself with it. He shakily pulled his phone from his pocket and aimed it at an angle where the camera could capture the whole length.

Eiko called it a “mirror selfie”. She’d explained it to him when he asked why she was taking pictures of herself in the school bathroom. Makoto, however, was dressed in a baggy Buchimaru-kun shirt and basketball shorts. With a deep inhale, he moved his thumb to the volume button.

_ Click! _

There. The photo was done. Makoto tapped his screen a few times and got to cropping. Sae’s room was tidy, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate it if he sent a picture of it to someone she didn’t know. Aside that, though, Makoto didn’t scrutinize the picture like he usually would. Instead he simply— and very quickly— texted it to one Eiko Takao.

_ niijimamakoto: Do I look like a boy in this? _

Makoto felt his stomach churn as soon as he hit send. The little blue bar at the top of the chat whisked across the screen, sealing his fate. Instant regret. All he could do was wait… and pray that he’d never get a response.

Suddenly, a text bubble with three dots appeared. Eiko was typing away. No, wait, it disappeared. Makoto felt his temples pulse harder each time the bubble came and went. And here he thought  _ he  _ wrote essay-length texts!

_ takaoeiko: omg no?! dont worry u look just fineee. like, mayb fix ur fashion sense but. u kno what? ill give u sum makeup if ur worried abt looking like a dude lol _

Now Makoto really,  _ really  _ wished he’d never sent it. Of course, he wasn’t expecting Eiko to understand him, since she had no context. But a simple “lmfao yeah” would have made him overjoyed. He stomped out of Sae’s room and flopped onto the couch in the living room with a huff. He was about to slam his phone down on the table before he realized something.

His name, Makoto, meant truth. (It was a gender neutral name, too, unlike his appearance apparently.) He knew he needed to stick by it and be honest. Begrudgingly, his stiff thumbs got to typing.

_ niijimamakoto: No, I want to look like a boy. _

The text bubble put on a disappearing act again. Makoto groaned and buried his face into the couch cushions. On second thought, maybe he ought to change his name. If honesty was this hard, he’d rather have a little boy’s name like Buchimaru. Oh, Eiko was  _ so  _ judging him for this.

_ takaoeiko: makoto are you transgender? _

Had Makoto’s mouth not gone bone dry in a bout of anxiety, he surely would’ve choked on his spit. He blinked several times, reading and rereading the message to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. How had Eiko gotten it so fast?

_ niijimamakoto: I guess I am, yeah. How… How’d you figure? _

_ takaoeiko: dude a trans woman runs the bar thats like 2 doors down from where i used to work in shinjuku. i went in once shes cool _

Ah, Newcomer. Eiko was definitely talking about Newcomer. Makoto suddenly understood why Lala had given him such an understanding glance that one time he went there with Akira. Trans to trans communication, he figured, although he hadn’t even been out to himself at that point yet. How amusing.

_ niijimamakoto: Newcomer? I’ve actually been, haha. _

He facepalmed. What in the world was he doing?  _ Haha?  _ He sounded like a middle aged woman. On that note, he realized he ought to stop using “kashira” as well.

_ niijimamakoto: Sorry. I’m just a bit surprised that you’re okay with this. With me. _

_ takaoeiko: ofc i am! im not an idiot like my brother! anyway do want me 2 call u makoto-kun or smth now? wait no maybe niijima-kun _

Makoto’s cheeks flushed at the implication. He’d forgotten about the unspoken rule about first names, since he was so buddy buddy with the Phantom Thieves. He tried to wipe off his blush with the back of his arm, to no avail. He then went to type up a response, hoping to come off cool enough to contrast with the heat he was feeling.

_ niijimamakoto: What you’ve been calling me is fine. If you’d like to establish boundaries now, though, that’s fine as well. _

_ takaoeiko: ooo yeah smart i guess sending pics of myself in miniskirts 2 a guy is kinda misleading LMFAO _

Makoto’s cheeks flushed even harder. Still, he really admired Eiko for being able to say those sorts of things without any filter. She was brave and, in part, that bravery inspired him to live up to his name. Something about her kicked him into overdrive. That was why he’d decided to tell her first.

_ niijimamakoto: You don’t even know if I swing that way! Which I do, but that is besides the point! _

_ takaoeiko: ur just saying that so u can see more of my selfies u perv! (im joking obv) _

_ niijimamakoto: Am not! _

Makoto let out a chuckle through his nose. It wasn’t nervous laughter, no, but rather from genuine joy. His thin yet powerful smile matched it. Eiko taking his coming out so well was a relief, so he allowed himself to kick back a bit. Maybe honesty wasn’t so bad after all.

_ niijimamakoto:  _ Anyway,  _ I’m glad I can talk to you about these things. _

_ takaoeiko: any time boy best friend <3 _

Makoto rolled his eyes. So maybe Eiko wasn’t as progressive or in the know as he thought she was. At the very least, she had the spirit of a supporter. That was all that mattered to him.

In that moment, Makoto felt his soul speed off into the horizon, thrilled and free.


End file.
